Qutub Minar

The Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret in the world, standing 72.5 metres (238 ft) over five distinct storeys, and one of Delhi's most-visited monuments. It's the centerpiece of the wider Qutb Complex in Mehrauli, South Delhi — a UNESCO World Heritage Site that includes several other significant structures, not just the tower itself.

History

Construction began in 1199 under Qutb-ud-din Aibak, founder of the Delhi Sultanate's Mamluk (slave) dynasty, to commemorate the establishment of Muslim rule in Delhi. Aibak completed only the base before his death; his successor and son-in-law, Iltutmish, added the remaining storeys, finishing the structure by around 1220. It was damaged and repaired multiple times over the centuries — most notably after lightning strikes — with later rulers, including Firoz Shah Tughlaq, contributing restoration work that accounts for some of the visible variation in style between the lower and upper storeys.

The tower's first three storeys are red sandstone; the fourth and fifth combine marble and sandstone. Bands of intricately carved Quranic inscriptions and geometric patterning run around the shaft — the inscriptions are a large part of why the tower is considered such an important example of early Indo-Islamic architecture, not just its height. Visitors can no longer climb the interior staircase (closed to the public since a 1981 stampede-related accident), so the tower is viewed from ground level, within the complex.

What else is in the Qutb Complex

• Alai Darwaza — the main gateway to the complex, built in 1311, and regarded as one of the finest early examples of Indo-Islamic architectural decoration, with its true horseshoe arches and red sandstone and marble inlay work.
• The Iron Pillar — a roughly 1,600-year-old iron pillar, from the Gupta period, notable for having resisted rusting for over a millennium despite being exposed to the elements — a genuine metallurgical curiosity, and one of the complex's most-discussed features regardless of visitors' interest in the architecture around it.
• Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque — believed to be the earliest surviving mosque built by the Delhi Sultanate, constructed using materials and columns repurposed from earlier Hindu and Jain temples on the site, which is itself a visible, debated piece of the complex's history.
• The unfinished Alai Minar — Alauddin Khilji's attempted second, even taller minaret, abandoned after only its base was completed; the stub is still visible in the complex.

Practical planning notes

• Hours: generally open daily, roughly sunrise to sunset (commonly cited as 7 AM–5 PM, though hours can shift seasonally).
• Entry fee: approximately ₹35–40 for Indian nationals, ₹550–600 for foreign visitors, free for children under 15 — these figures have risen over recent years and are worth reconfirming before a visit, since ticket prices at ASI-run monuments do change.
• Time needed: most visitors spend 1.5–2.5 hours covering the full complex at an unhurried pace.
• Getting there: Qutb Minar has its own metro station (Yellow Line) in Mehrauli, making it one of the more straightforward Delhi monuments to reach without a car.
• Best time to visit: November to March, for cooler weather — Delhi summers are extremely hot, and the complex has limited shade.
• Comfortable walking shoes matter more here than at most monuments — the complex involves a fair amount of walking on uneven historic paving.

Specific ticket prices and opening hours change; confirm current figures on the ASI's official booking channel before planning a visit around them.